Ballotpedia's 2012 General Election Preview Articles: New York Congressional Seats
October 29, 2012
By Ballotpedia's Congressional team
| New York’s Congressional Elections in 2012 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Senate Election? | U.S. House seats | Possible competitive races? | |
| Yes | 27 | 5 | |
ALBANY: New York: There are 27 U.S. House seats and 1 U.S. Senate seat on the ballot in New York this year. Heading into general election on November 6, 2012, 100% of the congressional races are contested, meaning there are at least two candidates running in each of the 28 races. There are 25 incumbents running in the House races -— with 2 seats left open due to retirements.
In addition, New York is one of eight states that have "electoral fusion" -- which allows more than one political party to support a common candidate. This creates a situation where one candidate will appear multiple times on the same ballot, for the same position. The race is won by whichever candidate receives the most cumulative votes. Electoral fusion was once widespread across the United States, but is now commonly practiced only in New York.[1]
Opponents of fusion voting argue that the process results in dealmaking to ensure that patronage is rampant.[2] Proponents maintain that fusion voting allows for minor parties to actually make a difference during the election, allowing voters the opportunity to vote for a minority party platform but still affect the general election result.[3]
For the purposes of maintaining uniform listings of candidates across the country, the candidates will be labeled according to the primary party with which they registered. If a candidate also files under a minority party, that party will be listed next to that candidate's name.
U.S. Senate
Incumbent U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D) is running for re-election in 2012. Gillibrand was appointed to the U.S. Senate in 2009, when she filled the seat left vacant by Hillary Clinton's appointment as President Barack Obama’s Secretary of State. She was then elected in 2010 to finish out Clinton's term and is now seeking her own six-year term.[4]
Gilibrand was unopposed in the Democratic primary election on June 26th, and will face four challengers in the general election, including Republican Wendy Long.[5] Long defeated U.S House member Bob Turner in the primary. The race is not considered competitive and is listed as Solidly Democratic according to a Cook Political Report Race Rating from October 4, 2012.[6]
U.S. House
Heading into the November 6 election, the Democratic Party holds 21 of the 29 Congressional seats from New York. However, the state lost two seats after the 2010 Census reapportionment and will elect 27 representatives. Of the 54 possible major party primaries (2 parties, 27 seats), only 16 (30%) were contested, well below the national average. The remaining 38 party primaries contained only one candidate (or none at all). Highlights from the June 26th primaries include:
- New York's 24th is considered to be a toss-up according to the New York Times race ratings. Republican incumbent Ann Marie Buerkle is challenged by Dan Maffei (D) in a district that is more Democratic than the one she won in 2010. Buerkle is considered to be the most vulnerable incumbent in New York and faces a tough rematch from Maffei.[7] In 2010, she won by .3% over Maffei[8]
- In the 18th District, former Bill Clinton aide Sean Maloney beat four Democratic challengers to win the party nod to take on vulnerable Republican incumbent Nan Hayworth[9][10] in the general election.
According to the Cook Political Report race ratings in October 2012, 5 of the 27 districts are considered to be in play. These are the 27th Congressional District of New York, 18th, 19th, 1st and 11th districts.[11]
In New York, all polls are open from 6:00 AM to 9:00 PM, Eastern Time.[12]
See also: State Poll Opening and Closing Times (2012)
Here is a complete list of U.S. Senate and House candidates appearing on the general election ballot in New York:
Candidates
Senate
| State | General Election Candidates | Incumbent | 2012 Winner | Partisan Switch? |
| New York Class 1 Senate seat |    Kirsten Gillibrand  Wendy Long Chris Edes Colia Clark John Mangelli |
Kirsten Gillibrand | Pending | Pending |
House
Partisan breakdown by district
| Members of the U.S. House from New York -- Partisan Breakdown | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 2012 | After the 2012 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 21 | 21 | |
| Republican Party | 8 | 6 | |
| Total | 29 | 27 | |
Comparison of new and old redistricting maps
Articles
- 2012 elections preview: New York voters to select winners in congressional primaries June 25
- 2012 elections review: No incumbents defeated in New York June 27
See also
- Ballotpedia's 2012 General Election Preview Articles: New York State Legislature
- Ballotpedia:2012 general election preview articles
- November 6, 2012 election results
- United States Congressional election results, 2012
- United States House of Representatives elections in New York, 2012
- New York's 1st Congressional District elections, 2012
- New York's 2nd Congressional District elections, 2012
- New York's 3rd Congressional District elections, 2012
- New York's 4th Congressional District elections, 2012
- New York's 5th Congressional District elections, 2012
- New York's 6th Congressional District elections, 2012
- New York's 7th Congressional District elections, 2012
- New York's 8th Congressional District elections, 2012
- New York's 9th Congressional District elections, 2012
- New York's 10th Congressional District elections, 2012
- New York's 11th Congressional District elections, 2012
- New York's 12th Congressional District elections, 2012
- New York's 13th Congressional District elections, 2012
- New York's 14th Congressional District elections, 2012
- New York's 15th Congressional District elections, 2012
- New York's 16th Congressional District elections, 2012
- New York's 17th Congressional District elections, 2012
- New York's 18th Congressional District elections, 2012
- New York's 19th Congressional District elections, 2012
- New York's 20th Congressional District elections, 2012
- New York's 21st Congressional District elections, 2012
- New York's 22nd Congressional District elections, 2012
- New York's 23rd Congressional District elections, 2012
- New York's 24th Congressional District elections, 2012
- New York's 25th Congressional District elections, 2012
- New York's 26th Congressional District elections, 2012
- New York's 27th Congressional District elections, 2012
- New York elections, 2012
- National contested primary average during the 2012 U.S. congressional elections
Footnotes
- ↑ Wikipedia entry: electoral fusion
- ↑ Electoral fusion ruins elections
- ↑ Working Family Party: Fusion voting
- ↑ US Congress House Clerk “Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010
- ↑ New York Boards of Elections "Official Candidate List" accessed October 24, 2012
- ↑ [ http://cookpolitical.com/senate/charts/race-ratings Cook Political Report, "2012 Senate Race Ratings," accessed October 24, 2012]
- ↑ New York Times, "House Race Ratings," accessed August 10, 2012
- ↑ US Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election on November 2, 2010"
- ↑ Ithaca Journal, "Redrawn congressional lines promise competitive races," March 22, 2012
- ↑ New York Times, "Redrawn Districts Present a Hurdle for Democrats," April 2, 2012
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "House Race Ratings," accessed October 24, 2012
- ↑ New York Board of Elections, "Frequently Asked Questions"
| |||||
